I Thought I'd Live Forever
by princessofwriting
Summary: Danny had run away. It was so sudden and unexplainable that even the Sam and Tucker were baffled. Most of the police believed it was foul play, but his two friends knew that was impossible.


Danny had run away. It was so sudden and unexplainable that even the Sam and Tucker were baffled. Most of the police believed it was foul play, but his two friends knew that was impossible. No human could have possibly had the strength to kill him. If a ghost had done the act, the creature would have made it pretty obvious with boasts and other proclamations. Sam and Tucker knew he had run away, but they couldn't think of any reason as to why. Anyone else who couldn't accept his demise, but didn't know his secret assumed he had left because of the continuous bullying. Dash was one of those people. He apologized a million times to Sam and Tucker, but he never felt like it was enough. The Goth and the techno-geek tried to comfort him. They knew it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't have abandoned the town because of bullying. He had gotten so used to it by now. And even if he was at the breaking point with Dash's cruelty, they knew he had the ability to punch back, and would probably have done that before he'd have considered leaving the place he had sworn to protect. So the two teens sat in the Fenton household, bouncing theories back and forth with Jazz, while the older scientists were upstairs copying more missing person posters. It was the three month anniversary of his disappearance and most of the town had nearly forgotten the raven-haired boy. No, their focus was on their missing hero. How they had not put two and two together had amazed the three secret keepers, but they would keep his secret safe, "until a year," they had agreed.

But it was becoming harder and harder, especially for Jazz. Every morning she saw dried tears on her mom's face due to crying herself to sleep. And her dad's eyes were constantly bloodshot and framed with dark bags from staying up till sunrise searching for any sign of his son. "Maybe we shouldn't wait a year," Jazz suggested.

"We've sworn secrecy. And there's always a chance he… he might," sobs choked down the words that were coming from Sam.

"I hate to say it, but I think that it's unlikely that he's coming back." The ghost boy's older sister sighed.

"Don't say that Jazz!" shouted Tucker, "He's coming back! He wouldn't just leave us like this."

Tucker broke down in tears, and soon the three teens were crying and comforting each other. Just then a knock resonated throughout the house, causing Jazz to jump up and try to wipe tears off of her face as she ran to the door. Like she did every time, with that little bit of hope that maybe Danny would be there, smiling on the other side of the frame. But he wasn't there. A man stood there wearing beige overall and a matching hat. In one hand he held out a pen and piece of paper and the other hand held a thin brown box. He reminded the red-haired teen of the box ghost and tears once again pricked at the corners of her eyes when she remembered her brother fighting the humorous foe. "Sign," the man said in a board, monotone voice.

"Of course," she sniffed.

She quickly signed her name on the paper and took the package from the man. She watched him walk back to his van and drive away before she finally closed the door and amble back to her brother's best friends.

"What is it?" Tucker asked, thankful for something to take his mind off of his friend's absence

"I don't know," she responded.

The girl opened up the package and was surprised to see a VHS tape fall into her hands. Written in small letters on the tape's label it read

_For the Fenton Family, Tucker, and Sam_

"Funny," she thought, "most people would've assumed we had updated to a DVD player by now."

She let the thought pass and called her parents downstairs

She waited until they had stumbled down the stairs and sat themselves down on the couch to put the tape in. The image on the screen caused everyone's hearts to stop for a moment. There Danny was on the screen, solemnly sitting on a chair against a blue background. But he looked different. His chin was more defined and he seemed to be a couple of inches taller than before, but his bright blue eyes that contrasted so fiercely with his jet black hair made him unmistakably Danny. He waited a few seconds to start talking, clearly nervous about what he was going to talk about. The boy took a few steadying breathes and began his speech. "Hi guys," he waved and gave a half-hearted smile, "I'm sorry to have left you so suddenly, but don't worry I'm safe. I should probably start out with the biggest thing. Um Mom, Dad, I'm Danny Phantom."

The blue rings passed over his body and revealed the teen ghost hero that Amity Park feared and adored. He waited a few moments to continue his monologue in order to let the news sink in for his parents. Maddie Fenton began to cry, realizing all of the times she had shot at her own son. Her husband but a comforting arm around her, but tears fell down his face as well. Danny transformed back and continued. "I guess you're wondering why I only addressed you, Mom and Dad. Well, Sam and Tucker were there when it happened. 'It' being the portal accident. Yeah, there was an on switch on the inside."

"Stupid. Stupid," his dad mentally berated himself.

"Well, all of the ectoplasm turned me half-ghost and so I became Danny Phantom. Jazz found out by herself and even kept it from me for a short while. I'm sorry I never told you, but I was so scared that you wouldn't accept me," he stopped to wipe glistening silver tears that had started to dot his face. Now, I should address the next biggest issue… why I ran away. Sam, Tucker. Remember when we were talking about what it meant for me to be a half-ghost. Sam, you mentioned the idea that because ghosts exist forever, I might live forever as well. Tucker, you thought that was the coolest thing ever. Yeah I laughed and smiled, but after you guys left I cried myself to sleep. I didn't want to live forever. I didn't want to watch all of you guys die while I didn't age a day. But we were wrong. Dead wrong."

Jazz sobbed into her hands at hearing him say that. "Sorry, that wasn't meant to be a pun. Actually I'm aging quicker. My only theory is that my body can't take being alive and dead at the same time and so it's trying to speed up the process. It would have been too hard to explain if I had stayed. Guys, I'm dying. I've walked this tightrope between life and death too long and I'm starting to slip. Mom, Dad, I don't blame you for hunting me. You had no way of knowing. Jazz, you were the greatest sister anyone could ask for. I know I always teased you, but deep down I was so appreciative of you talking with me about my problems. Tucker, you're the greatest friend anyone could have ever asked for, and I'm glad for all of your jokes that always helped me find the best in everything. And Sam, I really did have a crush on you. I loved you. I love all if you. Goodbye."

And with that the video clicked off.

**Well, I find myself doing this a lot. A bunch of people write about Danny living forever, I write about what would happen if he aged faster. I did the same concept in my story "Recessive" where I once again, write about the opposite of what everyone else is writing. I think this will be a two-shot. I don't own Danny Phantom.**


End file.
